Trolley glider



Nov. 15, 1938.

B G. COOPER TROLLEY GLIDER Filed Dec. 8, 1937 f/v vE/v TOR BENJAMIN G. CooPER,

Z WM,

ATTY

Patented Nov. 15, 1938 PATIENT OFFICE TROLLEY GLIDER Benjamin G. Cooper, Columbus, Ohio, assignor to The Jeffrey Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Ohio Application December 8, 1937, Serial No. 178,773

Claims.

This invention relates to a trolley glider or trolley current collector and an object of the invention is to provide a very simple but strong device of this type in which the parts are readily re- 5 movable but are securely held in place to prevent accidental separation thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved and simplified trolley current collector of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows and Fig. 3 is a sectional View running longitudinally through the trolley shoe and harp.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, it may 1 be seen that the trolley current collector or glider comprising my invention is formed by a trolley pole I ll, the upper end only of which is illustrated in the drawing, to which is removably attached a socket II by a bolt I2 and to which is connected an electric conducting cable l3 by a cable clamp I4. Socket II is provided with an integral lug I5 on which is mounted atrolley harp I6 bifurcated to provide spaced apart side plates I1, I! and swiveled to the lug I5 for pivotal movement about an upright axis by nut and bolt means I8. It is evident that the trolley harp I6 willthus be mounted for pivotal movement about the upright axis of the nut and bolt means I8.

Pivoted in the trolley harp I6 about a horizontal axis formed by a pin I9 is a non-rotary trolley shoe or sliding current collector 20 formed with a longitudinally extending smoothly curved groove 2| presenting an extended'contacting area withv a trolley wire 22. To effect a simple but very reliable connection between the shoe 20 and the pin I9 and thereby to connect said shoe 20 in a reliable manner with the harp I6 I form said pin I9 with a transversely extending groove 23 which, as clearly seen by reference to Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawing, forms cylindrical end bearing areas 24, 24 connected together by a semi-cylindrical web or connecting member 25. The bottom portion of the body of the shoe 20 is also provided with a transversely extending straight side groove 26. The grooves 23 and 26 cooperate to provide an interlocking relation between the pin I9 and shoe 2B and present to each other cooperating fiat bearing surfaces 21 and 28, respectively.

In order to clamp the bearing surfaces 2i and 28 tightly together I provide a removable screw 29 which extends between the spaced side walls 51 of the groove 26 and is threaded into the shoe 2%, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawing. To provide an appreciable bearing area against the lower portion of the semi-cylindrical web 25 of pin I9 the screw 29 carries a bearing block 10 which also extends within the groove 26. The end. bearing surfaces 24, 24 of the pin I9 are journaled in the side plates ll of the harp It by means of bronze bushings 3|, 3|

In order to insure a good electrical connection 16 between the harp I6 and the shoe 2i] and to prevent any appreciable amount of current from passing through the pin I9 and the bearing surfaces thereof, I provide a current conducting strap 32 which is rigidly clamped at one end to 20 the harp It by clamp means 33 and is rigidly clamped to the trolley shoe 20 at the other end by clamp means 34. The strap- 32 is preferably very flexible and is made up of a plurality of thin leaves of soft annealed copper. seen that theshoe 28 is freely pivoted on the trolley harp It so that said shoe 20 may pivot about the horizontal axis formed by the pin It to present a maximum bearing area of the longitudinally extending groove 2I of said shoe 26 to 30 the trolley wire 22. This pivotal connection between the shoe 20 and the harp I6 is a very simple but reliable one which will allow the removal of the shoe 20 in case it becomes worn to be replaced by another shoe by a minimum of effort. At the 35.

same time the simplicity of the parts is such that there is a minimum of possibility of the device becoming inoperative while in use. In this connection it may be mentioned that the screw 29 is preferably provided with a lock washer to lock it 40* in place. 7

It is furthermore to be noted that even should the screw 29 become loose and lost the shoe would still tend to remain in operative relation for the strap 32 would prevent its rotating more than 45 ninety degrees and due to the cooperating grooves 23 and 26 of the pin I9 and the shoe 20, respectively, said pin I9 would be still held in its operating position in the harp I6.

It is also to be noted that there is not an appre- 50 ciable load placed upon the screw 29 and. thus there is a minimum tendency for it to become loose and lost.

To remove and renew a shoe 20 it is only necessary to remove screws 29 and 34. The removal 55 It is thus to be 25' of screw 29 allows bearing block 30 to drop whereupon shoe 2!] can be readily lifted from its interlocking relation with pin l9. Assemblage is effected by a reverse operation.

5 Obviously those skilled in the art may make various changes in the details and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claimshereto appended; and I therefore wish not to be restricted to the precise construction herein disclosed.

Having thus described and shown an embodiment of my invention, what I desire to secure-by:

Letters Patent of the United StatesisL 1. In a trolley current collector thecombinae tion with a trolley harp having spaced walls with bearing surfaces, a one-piece collector shoe positioned between the spaced walls of said harp; saidshoe having a transversely extending-1'- groove:

therein, a supporting pin extending through said shoe groove and having endsjournaled in said bearing surfaces and having a transversely ex-" tending groove-into which'said shoe extends; and means cooperating withthe grooved structure of said pin: and shoe to maintain saidshoe attached to saidpln.

2. In a trolley current collector, the combination with a trolley. pole, of: a trolley socket mounted=onltheupper end thereof, a trolley harp ac: carried bysaidz'socket, av non-rotary one-piece:

collectorshoe; a pin .pivotally mountingsaid'shoe on said harprfor movement on a horizontal axis, anelectrical cable connected to saidsocket', means including said harp for eifecting an electrical and i shoeihaving cooperating. interlocking means.

formed. by: cooperating grooves, and a' screw extending across the shoe groove and. holding. said.

; pin therein.

4. Ina current" collector, the'combination with a trolley. harp having spaced side walls, of avpinl. havingspacedzcylindricarllbearing-areas journaledi in said side walls:and=.being' grooved to'form: a.

connecting;web:between,said cylindrical bearing.

areas; a: trolley shoehaving a. transversely ex,-

tending-groove adapted to; receive saidzweb with,

the cylindricalrbearing portions of said pin: on: opposite; sides of' said: shoe, and means; for re,-

g;.movably maintaining said: web in. saidl shoe,

groove;

5. In a current collector, thercombi-nation with a-trolley harp, ofasliding collector shoe;.a pin:

pivotally connecting said shoe, andi harp, saidpin' and shoe havingcooperating:interlockingmeansformed by cooperating grooves, and meansfor'removablymaintainingv saidi interlocking relation.

6..A current, collector comprising, a one-piece shoe, ,a harp,',a:pin pivotallyconnecting- 'said' shoe and harp, said pin and shoe having grooves disposed at right angles to each other formed to provide an interlock between said shoe and said pin, and means to maintain said interlocking relation.

7. A current collector comprising a one-piece shoe, a harp, a pin pivotally connecting said shoe and harp,- said pin and shoe having grooves disposediatright angles to each other formed to provide an interlock between said shoe and said pin, and means to maintain said interlocking relation, said means including a bearing block positioned in the shoe groove and clamping the pinlint saidshoe. groove, and means for removably holdingzsaid'bearing block in place.

8. Ima trolley, current collector, the combination with a harp having spaced side walls, of a shoe; a pin pivotally connecting said shoe and harp and, having journal areas at each end journaled in said side walls and being grooved intermediate its-ends toprovide a fiat top bearing-surface, a transverse groove in the bottom of said shoe providing a fiat bottom bearing surface on saidshoe, saidpin and shoe slots providing for theainterlocking of said pin and shoe with said flat top and bottom bearing surfaces in contacting-relation, and -means-extending below said pin and'between the side walls of said shoe groove for maintaining said interlocking relation.

9: Inia trolley current collector, the combination with a harp having spaced side Walls, of a shoe, a pinzpivotallyconnecting said shoe and harp'andhavingjournal-areas-at each end journaled in said-side walls andbeing grooved intermediate its endsltoprovide a flat top bearing surface, a transverse groove in the bottom of said shoe providi'ng a flat bottom bearing surface on saidishoe, said pin and shoe slots providing for the interlocking of: said pinand shoe with said fiat top and bottom bearing surfaces in contactingrelation', and means extending below said pin and between-the side walls of said shoe groove for maintaining said interlocking relation, said means including a screw threadedinto said shoe and: extending through a bearing block in said shoe groovewhichblock is'in contacting relation with said.'pin;

102. In aitrolley current collector, the combination. with a:harp'havingvspaced side walls, of a shoe,-.a=-.pin.pivotal1y connecting said shoe andharp :andihavingsjournal:areas ateach end journaledzinr said side walls andbeing grooved intermediate its endslto provide a. flat top bearing surface,,a: transversegroove in the bottom of said shoe: providing; azflati bottom bearing. surface on said shoe; saidpin andshoe slots providing for the interlocking; of; said; pin and shoe with said flatetop'and bottombearing surfaces in'contacting relation; and: means: extending below saidpin andzbetween-the side wallszofrsaid shoegroove for maintaining; saidl interlocking relation, said meansincluding: axscrew threaded into said shoe.

BENJAMIN G. COOPER; 

